Luc-sur-Mer
The campsite's own village: two kilometres of sand, a pier, and a park sheltering the skeleton of a whale stranded here in 1885. A bathing resort since the 19th century, it has kept its balconied villas and its air of holidays past.
Calvados · Normandy
DiscoverThe Côte de NacreTwenty kilometres of beaches, starting from the 5-star campsite La Capricieuse
From Ouistreham to Courseulles, one family seaside resort after another, Belle Époque villas and beaches where history turned on 6 June 1944. The campsite sits in the middle, in Luc-sur-Mer.
It is called the Côte de Nacre — the mother-of-pearl coast — for the colour of the wet sand when the sea withdraws, and it withdraws a long way. From Ouistreham to Courseulles, a dozen seaside villages follow one another over twenty kilometres, linked by an unbroken promenade you can walk from one resort to the next. Each has its beach, its Romanesque church, its wooden-balconied villas and, almost always, a memorial stone recalling 6 June 1944. La Capricieuse, a five-star Yelloh Village campsite, sits right in the middle, in Luc-sur-Mer: cottages, a heated water park, a restaurant on site and the beach at the end of the lane.
Good to know
Distances
From the campsite- 10 minCourseulles-sur-Mer
- 15 minOuistreham
- 35 minArromanches
The whole coast can be followed along the coast road, or by bike on the greenway that runs beside the sea from Ouistreham to Courseulles.
On the spot
What there is to do- 20 kmof sandy beaches
- 1 hrfrom one resort to the next on foot
- 6 June 1944history, everywhere
The promenade links Lion, Luc, Langrune and Saint-Aubin without ever leaving the shore: it is the favourite late-afternoon walk.
Good to know
To the rhythm of the tides- Low tideshore fishing and kites
- Summerlifeguarded swimming
- All yearthe promenade and the memorials
Spring tides uncover hundreds of metres of foreshore: that is the moment for shore fishing, on the rocks of Luc, Langrune and Saint-Aubin.
Along the coast
Six villages on the Côte de Nacre
Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer
The liveliest of the neighbours, with a promenade lined with terraces and Belle Époque villas. Its rocks, uncovered at low tide, are known for shore fishing; the Canadians landed here on the morning of 6 June.
Bernières-sur-Mer
Its half-timbered villa, known as Canada House, is one of the first houses in France to be liberated: the men of the Queen's Own Rifles reached it at 8 a.m. on 6 June 1944. It can still be visited, kept by the same family for generations.
Langrune-sur-Mer
Ten minutes on foot from Luc along the promenade. Its 13th-century church of Saint-Martin carries a Romanesque tower you can pick out from anywhere on the coast. The village has kept its narrow lanes and its Sunday morning market.
Courseulles-sur-Mer
Ten minutes away: the only working harbour on the coast, with its fishing boats, its fish market and its oyster beds. It is also Juno Beach, the Canadian landing beach, with its interpretation centre set on the dunes.
Ouistreham and Sword Beach
A quarter of an hour to the east: a large ferry port, a lighthouse you can climb, an immense beach — and the Atlantic Wall museum housed in a seventeen-metre bunker. This is where Captain Kieffer's French commandos came ashore.
Photo credits: Pascal Radigue, Luistxo, Dudva, Nitot, Héric Samson, BienheureuxAnonyme, FortReveur, Florian Pépellin — Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA / CC0).
The detour worth making
Arromanches-les-Bains
Photo: Florian Pépellin · CC BY-SA 4.035 minutes from the campsite
Where the Côte de Nacre meets history
At the western end of the coast, the bay of Arromanches still holds the caissons of the artificial harbour the Allies assembled in a matter of days in June 1944. The newly rebuilt D-Day museum tells the story of that feat; the view from the cliff east of the town is one of the most striking in Normandy. Allow half a day.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions about the Côte de Nacre
What exactly is the Côte de Nacre?+
The twenty kilometres of sandy beaches running from Ouistreham to Courseulles-sur-Mer, north of Caen: Lion, Luc, Langrune, Saint-Aubin, Bernières. It is also the sector of the British and Canadian landing beaches.
Which campsite should you choose on the Côte de Nacre?+
La Capricieuse is in Luc-sur-Mer, in the middle of the coast: five stars, the beach fifty metres away, a heated water park and a restaurant on site. Courseulles is ten minutes away, Ouistreham fifteen, Arromanches thirty-five.
What is there to do on the Côte de Nacre?+
The promenade links Lion, Luc, Langrune and Saint-Aubin without ever leaving the shore: that is the late-afternoon walk. At low tide the foreshore uncovers hundreds of metres of sand and rock for shore fishing and kite flying.
Can you cycle along the Côte de Nacre?+
Yes, on the greenway that follows the sea from Ouistreham to Courseulles, away from the road and flat from end to end. It is the pleasantest way to go from one resort to the next.
Also worth seeing
Our other day trips
The D-Day beaches
Sword Beach 50 m · Juno 10 min · Omaha 50 min
Mont-Saint-Michel
145 km · 2 hrs · A full day, tides included
Étretat
115 km · 1 hr 40 · The cliffs, the Needle and the gardens
Honfleur
65 km · 1 hr · The old harbour and the half-timbered houses
Deauville
55 km · 50 min · Les Planches, the casino and the villas
Bayeux
35 km · 35 min · The Tapestry, the cathedral and the medieval lanes
Caen
18 km · 25 min · The castle, the abbeys and the Memorial
Luc-sur-Mer
On the doorstep · The beach, the park and the whale
Courseulles-sur-Mer
10 km · 10 min · The harbour, the oysters and Juno Beach
Ouistreham
10 km · 15 min · The lighthouse, the harbour and Sword Beach
Cabourg
40 km · 40 min · The Marcel Proust promenade and the Grand Hôtel
Calvados
All around the campsite · Half-timbered villages and the Pays d'Auge
Campsite in Normandy
Your base camp, at Luc-sur-Mer
All of Normandy
Thirteen trips from the campsite
Your base camp in Normandy
Five-star cottages, a heated water park and the beach fifty metres away, in Luc-sur-Mer.
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